


of sand and gems and salty air

by fightforyourwrite



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: Bullying, Crushes, F/M, Glasses, Mutual Pining, Ocean, Pining, Protectiveness, Small Towns, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:40:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29060682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fightforyourwrite/pseuds/fightforyourwrite
Summary: in which lucas gets tormented and dawn shows off her protective nature
Relationships: Hikari | Dawn & Kouki | Lucas, Hikari | Dawn/Kouki | Lucas
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	of sand and gems and salty air

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like it's understated just how in shape the protagonist and rival are in the DPPT games because remember, those kiddos freakin' trek up to Snowpoint and climb Mt. Coronet, all while managing to take strolls in Amity Square and maybe take part in a few contests. 
> 
> I'm an adult and I can't even stretch without hurting my shoulder.

Dawn Perlman-Platt entered Sandgem Town with the intention of passing through. At her feet was her Prinplup, her oldest ‘Mon, who had recently evolved into its current form. 

After entering the town by the sea, Dawn noticed Lucas Diamant, a personal assistant to the esteemed Professor Williard D. Rowan, walking on the other side of the street. He moved along the Sandgem locals like a drop in the ocean, keeping to himself and becoming another face in the crowd.

He strolled down the sidewalk with some files tucked underneath his arm and his loyal Chimchar on his shoulder. As the two went on their way, they passed by an older teenager leaning against a building wall. The guy in question was taller, better groomed, donned a shinier pair of shoes, and dressed in an immaculate, top-notch wool coat. The smirk on his face was disturbingly devilish, something that held sinister intentions behind his pearly whites, hazel eyes, and perfectly coiffed hair. Despite the implications of his lofty status, he took great joy in bothering the Sandgem locals.

The older boy grabbed Lucas by the backpack, jerking the lab assistant backwards. Files and field notes were thrown up in the air as Lucas tumbled to the ground, his Chimchar falling with him. 

The second Dawn saw Lucas hit the ground, a jolt of shock surged through her, soon followed by a burst of anger. Her right hand clenched into a fist, squeezing until the skin of her palms turned red. With haste in her steps, she began dashing across the street as fast as her two legs could take her. Her Prinplup followed behind her, holding a similar kind of rage in its eyes. 

“Hey! What’s up, Diamant?” said the older boy, kneeling down to look Lucas in the eye. He smirked, then noticed the lab assistant’s red cap in the mess on the ground. “Nice hat. Check it.” 

The older boy grabbed the hat, stood up, and immediately tossed it into a nearby garbage can. It would have been impressive had he not been in the middle of taunting a 13-year-old.

Lucas groaned and sat up, rubbing his aching head. Lucky for him, most of the pain was cushioned by him landing on his rear end. He looked over to his Chimchar, who was on the ground next to Professor Rowan’s notes. 

Instead of giving Sandgem’s local rich prick the time of day, Lucas began gathering up Professor Rowan’s now scattered field notes. “I don’t want any trouble, Henry,” he said, trying to avoid his tormentor’s gaze. 

Due to the ‘Mon’s loyalty to its trainer, Lucas’s Chimchar let out an angry cry as it hopped up off the ground. Despite its size, the little one puffed out its chest and shot an angry glare at Henry, the flame on its backside blazing up in its fervor. 

“Ooooh, cute chimp,” Henry said, unfazed. “I didn’t know they gave Pokemon to plebs.” 

With speed that would rival a Floatzel in the rain, Dawn dashed up to the boys, ramming her right elbow into Henry’s stomach in the process. The impact of her attack caused the older boy to stumble back as the wind got knocked out of him. On the ground, Prinplup let out a growl, looking ready to sink its sharp beak into the guy once his trainer gave the order. 

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!” Dawn yelled. She had no reservations towards elbowing him again.

Once Henry caught his breath, he smirked and looked down to Lucas. “Hey, dipshit, why don’t you tell your girlfriend to piss off?”

Dawn wasn’t remotely ready to back down. With strong strides, she stepped in between Henry and Lucas and glared daggers at the older boy. “Why don’t you go home and fuck your mother some more?”

She spoke like her words could spew venom. If her mother heard her words, she’d gasp in shock and clutch her pearls. 

Henry's eyes widened in animosity. “ ** _HEY!_ **” he cried, his throat straining. He glowered at Dawn with disdain in his gaze. “You’re just lucky I don’t beat up girls.” 

Dawn scoffed. She didn’t cower in his presence, their age and height difference be damned. By her feet, her Prinplup took a few steps forward and rammed its forehead against Henry’s shin. It wasn’t remotely as strong as the ‘Mon could make it, as it was more like a warning of things that could come. The attack wasn’t as painful as Dawn’s, but it was enough to cause Henry to stumble back even more.

Lucas got onto his feet, the papers and files now in his arms. His Chimchar had scaled up his leg and was now perched on his shoulder again. “Like I said, Henry, we don’t want any trouble.” 

Henry gave Lucas a piercing stare. “This won’t be the last time, Diamant,” he threatened. “Next time little miss bitch face won’t be here to defend you.” He left, walking past the two 13-year-olds, making sure to give Lucas a slight shove as he went. 

Dawn’s temper cooled off once Henry had disappeared into the town. She looked to Lucas, who was keeping his eyes on the pavement. The papers in his arms were sticking out of the folders haphazardly. Around the street, the citizens of Sandgem Town seemed to go on with their day as if Henry’s actions had not taken place. Dawn tried not to think about the implications of that for too long. 

After a moment, Lucas took in a breath and looked to Dawn with a gentle gaze. “Thanks.” 

“You’re welcome,” Dawn replied. “Are you okay?”

Lucas didn’t give much of a response. He simply mumbled something that sounded like _“I’m fine”_ as he tried to organize the Professor’s precious field notes.

Dawn was concerned, but she knew better than to pry. She took a few steps to the nearby trash can, reached in, and pulled out Lucas’s scarlet cap. She cleaned off the dust and droplets of goop before handing it to him. 

…

…

…

The two young trainers sat on a public bench on the south side of town, a spot that faced the ocean and allowed a gentle spray of salty air to flow towards them. It was the kind of sight that Sandgem was known for, a simple beauty that could only be found in the smallest of Sinnoh’s towns. Seeing the waves crashing upon the shore was very serene in such an unserene time. 

Together they attempted to organize Professor Rowan’s notes — Lucas would put the papers in chronological order and Dawn would place them into the correct folder. Lucas’s habit of meticulously labelling each paper was certainly coming in handy.

Due to Henry’s shenanigans, one of Lucas’s contact lenses had fallen out, thus causing the poor boy to utilize a pair of thick black spectacles that made his nose look big and his eyes look buggy. Frankly, he was lucky that his backup glasses didn’t shatter in his backpack. 

On the ground, Lucas’s Chimchar and Dawn’s Prinplup played together like they did when they were mere hatchlings in Professor Rowan’s lab. Chimchar ran across the grass with Prinplup chasing him. Despite Prinplup’s tendency to be battle-focused and protective of its trainer, it let its softer side show every once in a while, gently tackling Chimchar to the ground in a playful, almost carefree manner. 

“So who was that guy?” Dawn asked.

“Henry Hyland,” Lucas answered drearily. “Lives in the nicer part of town, attends the trainer school in Jubilife, likes to bother people. He’s been picking on me for years.” 

“Have you told anyone?”

Lucas sighed. “Once — my grandfather called his parents after he tried to run me over with his bike. He won’t bother anyone if his folks are present.” 

“What a waste of hair,” Dawn grumbled. “I bet I can knock some sense into the guy.” 

Lucas smiled slightly, seeming amused. “That’d be nice, but I don’t think that’ll work.” He let out another sigh, “I’m just hoping that he’ll grow up soon.” 

He spoke as if Henry wasn’t three years older than him and should presumably know better.

“Maybe a good kick in the ass will help,” Dawn suggested dryly. “I may have quit judo years ago, but I did get to a blue belt.” 

Lucas was intrigued. “I didn’t know you knew judo.” 

Dawn shrugged simply, the memories of her old hobby starting to resurface. In her younger days, when she wasn’t playing with Barry or attending her mother’s contests, she was learning to toss people onto mats in Twinleaf’s only dojo. Despite shedding nervous tears on her first lesson, she eventually learned how to channel her energy into the art, a habit she retained into her career as a Pokemon trainer. 

“My mom made me do it when I was 4,” she told him. “She did it when she was that age too.” 

“It must be helpful for contests then,” Lucas remarked as he handed her the last few notes.

Dawn accepted the papers and neatly tucked them into the proper folder. “I actually liked judo. I was pretty upset when the dojo had to be shut down — turns out, it was all a front for a money laundering scheme. It’s a shame though, it was a good school minus that last part.” 

With a casual air, she handed Lucas the last file. As he took it, his hand brushed against hers, causing a mild blush to form in his cheeks. Immediately, he slipped the files into his backpack and avoided Dawn’s gaze. 

“So… uh... wh-where are you off to now?” 

Dawn eyed him quizzically, but answered casually. “Home. Just wanted to see my mom. You?” 

“I gotta bring these notes to the Professor’s home,” Lucas said. He adjusted his glasses again, a habit he indulged in whenever he sported his usual eyewear. “Also, I should probably pick up some new contacts...” 

Dawn gave him a second glance and said, “I think the bespectacled look suits you.”

For a beat, Lucas blinked in utter confusion, then a captivated smile started tugging on his face. “Really?”

“They make you look brainy,” Dawn remarked, meeting his grin with a slight one of her own. 

With a nervous, yet elated chuckle, Lucas managed to stutter out a reply. “Oh, uh… th-th… thanks.” He only stammered when he was flustered, which wasn’t often but inconvenient when it happened. 

For a moment, the two young trainers let themselves sit on the bench, their eyes connecting as the sound of the ocean waves resonated in front of them. Sometimes the world allowed them to do this, granting them smaller, quieter moments between things like battles, bullies, and Pokedexes. 

She liked the fact that she could talk to Lucas so easily, something that stemmed back to the day they met. They had only known each other for a few months, but it was nice to know that she had another friend in the world aside from Barry.

After a few moments, she began noticing something behind Lucas’s glasses. She took note of his eye colour — they were a lighter grey than she initially thought, a little closer to blue than the usual steely hues common in Sinnoh’s west.

Moments passed, then Dawn realized that she had been staring into Lucas’s eyes for longer than necessary.

“I should probably go,” she said, breaking her gaze away from his. “I’ll see you later.” 

Lucas nodded, suddenly finding the urge to look down to his shoes. “You too.”

“Hit me up if Henry bothers you again,” Dawn told him. “I’ll make him choke on his turtleneck.”

The lab assistant managed one more soft smile. “I’ll count on it, Dawn.” 

“Bye,” she said before looking towards her Prinplup, who was currently wrestling with Lucas’s Chimchar. “Pengling! Let’s go!”

With a nod, the steadfast Prinplup stood up, bid its old friend goodbye, and followed its trainer out of the town of sand and gems and salty air.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I just wanna believe that Dawn is secretly jacked underneath that pink peacoat. Johanna too probably. Top Coordinator Johanna raised a ripped potty-mouthed kiddo who wears pink and judo throws Team Galactic grunts. Now THAT'S what I need to see in a Sinnoh remake. 
> 
> Also, whenever I write Lucas I just HAVE to add in the hc that he's nearsighted and needs to wear some good old nerd glasses.
> 
> Also also, the line "why don't you go home and fuck your mother?" is from Stand By Me, which is credited with being one of the biggest inspirations for the Pokemon franchise. I find it ironic bc this tale about 4 youngsters going on a life-changing adventure has scenes where kids are smoking, swearing, and having mental breakdowns, but hey you do you Pokemon franchise.


End file.
